


Falling Into Your Arms

by sleep_incarnate



Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: If | Fire Emblem: Fates
Genre: Blind Date, F/M, Felicia being a hazard to herself, First Dates, tripping
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-17
Updated: 2018-08-17
Packaged: 2019-06-28 20:54:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,496
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15714903
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sleep_incarnate/pseuds/sleep_incarnate
Summary: Felicia goes on a first date with the resident angry red pepper!





	Falling Into Your Arms

Oh gods, oh gods, oh gods!” A very panicked voice cried out. “I mean, what if he thinks I’m too much of a klutz or--or what if I stutter around all my words? What do i even talk about I don’t do mu--”

“Felicia!” A more stern voice halted Felicia’s motormouthing.

“S-sorry, Flora”

The blue twin let out a quick sigh. “You’ll be fine, Sister. I’ve seen how you handle yourself around the store and you seem to do a perfect job every time. Just pretend you’re working or something.”

The source of Felicia’s panic was a simple one. While the pink twin was stressing over how many napkins to give to hungry diner goers, Flora had been working behind the scenes to set up a date for her twin. Half of it was to just help the girl destress, but also partly to give Felicia that first push towards being more assertive. Anything was better than her current state.

“But that’s different!” The pinkette yelled in panic. “I mean…yeah I’m not much of a klutz with all the trays and stuff…but I don’t think pretending will--”

A pair of hands firmly grasped Felicia’s thin shoulders before slightly shaking her. “Do you want to be confident or not, Felicia? You always say you wish you weren’t so clumsy around others right? Well now’s the time to start along that road!”

Neither twin said a word as they looked at each other in silence. Felicia picked at Flora’s basket of fries as she stared out the window. “So…who was it again? My date I mean!”

Flora grabbed a small piece of potato and pulled out her phone, already having the dating profile prepared for her sister. “There’s no picture since it’s a site for blind dates, but he seemed nice enough. ‘Saizo Tanki,’ somewhat new to the area and pretty to the point with how sparse his page is.”

As if to prove her point, Flora held up her screen to Felicia. Sure enough, save the man’s name and young age of 23, not much was listed.

“My brother forced me to make this, though I see little reason in it.” It read. So far, so little. “All that you need to know about me is I would sooner die than eat anything sugary.”

“He seems…approachable?” Felicia, ever the kind soul, couldn’t quite think of a word to describe the man.

Flora smirked before putting her phone away. “Don’t worry, he’s just got a bit of a hard shell apparently. At least that’s what his brother told me.”

“You know his brother?”

Felicia’s twin nodded. “Kaze. The guy’s the opposite to Saizo in every way honestly.

He comes in now and then. The other day he mentioned Saizo needing some love in his life so I figured I’d bring you up.”

Flora lifted her waitress sleeve to check her watch. “Speaking of, how about you change,   

hm? You’ve got some mustard on your cheek.”

The pink twin went red before quickly wiping away the yellow stain and grabbing her thin coat. “Oh gods I really don’t wanna mess up all your hard work, Sis!” The waitress stumbled out the counter door, a worried expression ever constant as she ran out the door. “Oh gods, oh gods, oh gods…”

 

It wasn’t until Felicia got to the restaurant that the anic she felt compounded. There she stood in her simple white dress, her hair tied back in her usual ponytail. It wasn’t often she, or Flora for that matter, could go out to such a fancy place. The idea of a night out for them was normally just a movie at home with some ice cream. The lady at the front was nice enough. In no time flat Felicia was already sat at her table, ready and waiting for what she knew would at least be a night she would always remember. Whether it would be good or not? That was a toss up.

“Let’s see, um…” The girl always worried, and with this being her first date in what felt like years, she hadn’t a clue what she could say once Saizo arrived. “Good start there at least. I’m not late!”

A gruff voice behind her quickly startled Felicia. “You Ms. Glacia?”

Felicia nearly jumped out of her chair as she turned to see the source of the voice. The man’s face was deceivingly old, though his many scars were to thank for that, the largest of which streaked across the man’s right eye. His dark shirt was orderly and free from so much as a small wrinkle, though he covered his mouth with a dark navy scarf. ‘Dark’ this, ‘dark’ that. Even his hair was a dark shade of red.

The mystery of a man pulled back his chair and promptly sat down, all the while never taking his eyes off of Felicia. “U-um, so!” The girl stammered out, her confidence leaving her. “W-What do you do, Saizo? My sister and I-I help run our family’s diner and….um…”

“Family business as well.” Saizo’s expression hadn’t so much as changed from his stern neutrality. “We have a small apothecary. My brother and sister-in-law manage it more than me, but my father thinks I’ll ‘build character’ working alongside them.”

That was certainly a lot to take in. “An apothecary? So like…plants and stuff?”

“Medicinal herbal remedies to be exact, but yes: ‘plants and stuff.’”

As time went on and their food arrived (salad for Felicia, and a spicy pasta dish for Saizo), Felicia’s worries over first impressions slowly went away. Sure she stuttered her way through her first introduction, but she hadn’t made a fool of herself yet! All she had left was nail the walk in the park Saizo had suggested! Wait… 

“U-uh I don’t r-really need you to--”

“My family is always courteous with our first interactions.” Saizo held the door open for Felicia. “It would be a disgrace if I just left you.”

‘So chivalrous!’

The night sky was full of stars, letting everyone see the beauty of the constellations above. Felicia had never really understood how each one looked, but she still couldn’t help but gaze up at how pretty the sight was. In fact, the waitress’s eyes never left the starry sky, leaving her unaware of the branch in her path.

“I…um…really enjoyed dinner with you! Um…would like to maybe--”

One moment Felicia saw a dark, moonlit sky, the next gray sidewalk and a slight pain in her chin. Despite his best attempt to catch her, Saizo had only grasped Felicia’s loose coat. The man was quick to pick her up, thankfully, and set her on a nearby park bench. “Rest here. Do you have any bandages or swabs for your injury?”

“N-No,” Felicia winced as she gently poked the red stain. “I’m kinda u-used to stuff like this, though normally there’s a lot more food around me, ha-ha…”

Saizo removed his scarf, letting Felicia finally see him without anything hiding him. His face was so hard, yet not one she’d call unwelcoming. Faintly, she felt him dab at her chin just enough that she couldn’t feel any stinging sensation. “O-oh you didn’t have to--”

“I should have warned you of the branch, otherwise you wouldn’t have injured yourself. A lady shouldn’t have senseless injuries on her body, and a man should protect her whenever possible. I am sorry, Felicia.”

In an instant, her face went a shade rivaling Saizo’s hair. “Oh no that’s--well I mean um…” She stuttered, her words stuck in a jumble thanks to Saizo’s words. “I’m just always clumsy and stuff and uh… Well you shouldn’t be so hard on yourself!”

Saizo wrapped the scarf around his neck again, careful not to leave the faint stains near his face. “Your sister was correct: you really are too kind for your own good.”

Felicia felt his hand on her shoulder. The man acted like a guide, steering her away from any potential threat to her footing, all the way until the bright neon lights of a familiar diner. “Oh you didn’t have to walk me back you know.”

“It was nothing, really. After your fall I didn’t want you to get any more injured, and my brother will no doubt nag me about this date if he’s still awake.”

The pink girl shuffled for a moment. “I hope I didn’truin your night. That scarf looks expensive…”

Saizo made a noise of denial. “You made it memorable to say the least, but you seem very nice, Felicia. There are few people I would care to learn more about.” His hands firmly grasped Felicia’s hand. “So I suppose this date wasn’t as awful as I’d assume it could have been.”

And then in a rare moment of stumbling with words: “I guess…thank you for a good first date, Felicia.”

That night, Felicia’s face felt the hottest she’d ever felt in months. 


End file.
